Schedule Rewind: The 1964-65 Season Was a Big One for Sci Fi TV, but It Also Brought a Major Cancellation

Schedule Rewind: A look back at the Prime Time schedule from seasons past and network decisions impacting sci fi and fantasy shows.

The 1964-65 season was a big one for sci-fi and fantasy television, with fourteen genre entries across the three broadcast networks. That may not sound like a lot compared to the glut of scripted programming available in the Peak TV Era, but it is up notably from five sci fi TV shows in Prime Time just a few years prior in the 1959-60 season (more on that at this link). And while this season may have been heavier on the sitcom format among genre entries, it brought the premiere of several notable shows such as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Bewitched, The Munsters, and more. But it also brought the cancellation of a classic sci fi series as the networks continued to struggle with how to properly schedule shows in the genre.

ABC

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Mondays 7:30 PM EST)
The Flintstones (Thursdays 7:30 PM EST/Fridays 7:30 PM EST)
Bewitched (Thursdays 9:00 PM EST)
Jonny Quest (Fridays 7:30 PM EST/Thursdays 7:30 PM EST)
The Addams Family (Fridays 8:30 PM EST)
The Outer Limits (Saturdays 7:30 PM EST)

ABC had four notable premieres that year, with all but one of those shows carrying on to additional seasons. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea would take its bow on Mondays, and that kicked off Irwin Allen’s (notorious) reign as the king of cheesy sci fi on television which would last until 1970. Voyage started out as a more serious show in its first season, dealing with Cold War themes and delivering some straight-up action/adventure tales. But it was already veering into camp by the end of the year and would go heavy on the monster/villain-of-the-week formula for the rest of its four-year run.

Bewitched was one of two fantasy-oriented sitcoms to debut on ABC that season, and it would succeed in transcending its formula of a witch who cannot reveal her true nature into a television classic that is still well-regarded today. That one would go on for a successful run of eight seasons on the network. The ghoulish comedy of The Addams Family also premiered on ABC in the 1964-65 season and turned into a Top 25 hit. It would not have the staying power of Bewitched, though, and would disappear from the schedule after one more season (more on that at this link).

Some may object to counting The Flintstones as a genre entry, but it brought plenty of fantasy elements to its stories and it also acted as The Simpsons of its day by helping to establish a place for animated entries on the Prime Time schedule. The Jetsons had premiered on ABC two seasons prior, and the adventure series Jonny Quest made it to the schedule in the 1964-65 season. That one ended up flipping timeslots with The Flintstones later in the season, and competition from The Munsters on NBC could have led to its demise. It was cancelled after one season but lived on in Saturday morning reruns for decades.

The biggest cancellation among genre entries that year came when ABC decided to end The Outer Limits after two seasons. That show had performed well in the Monday 7:30 PM EST timeslot in its freshman year, but network execs decided to give that hour to Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea in the 1964-65 season. The Outer Limits was moved to Saturdays at 7:30 PM EST (at a time when audiences still tuned in to the broadcast networks on that night) where it had to contend with Top 25 series The Jackie Gleason Show. The ratings for The Outer Limits plummeted, and rather than reschedule the anthology show, ABC just decided to cancel it. That dismissive attitude would continue with genre entries for many years to come.

CBS

My Favorite Martian (Sundays 7:30 PM EST)
My Living Doll (Sundays 9:00 PM EST/Wednesdays 8:00 PM EST)
Mister Ed (Wednesdays 7:30 PM EST)
The Munsters (Thursdays 7:30 PM EST)
Gilligan’s Island (Saturdays 8:30 PM EST)
Secret Agent (Saturdays 9:00 PM EST)

CBS had six sci fi/fantasy shows on the schedule that season, which is rather impressive for that longtime genre-averse network. My Favorite Martian was in its second year and performing well for the network as it ended the season in the Top 25. It would carry on for one more season then head for a long run in syndication. Later on Sunday nights, My Living Doll had its premiere, delivering a show about a man and his android (and starring Julie Newmar before moving on to Batman). That one would be cancelled by the end of the season, though.

On Thursdays, The Munsters delivered another ghoulish comedy to Prime Time, and it would end the season in the Top 20. Its popularity slacked off in its second year, though (just like The Addams Family), and it would be cancelled after its second season (more on that at this link). British import Secret Agent (starring Patrick McGoohan as John Drake) joined the schedule on Saturdays, and while it did not have as many sci fi elements as NBC’s spy fi entry The Man From U.N.C.L.E., it is notable because of its link to The Prisoner which would follow several years later.

Some will take issue with the fact that I have Gilligan’s Island included here, but that infamous comedy about seven marooned castaways had robots, spaceships, witch doctors, mad scientists, and more showing up on the island, so it had plenty of genre elements. It premiered in the 1964-65 season–ranking in the Top 20–and would stick around for three years total before CBS execs (who hated the show) found a way to cancel it. I consider Mister Ed even more of a stretch as a genre show, but I guess you could argue it had fantasy elements. That one was in its fifth season and would stick around for one more year.

NBC

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (Mondays 8:00 PM EST)
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Tuesdays 8:30 PM EST/Mondays 8:00 PM EST)

NBC only had two genre entries that season, but both are rather notable. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour was more of a mystery/suspense series, but it worked in supernatural and horror stories and would have been of interest to genre fans. It was in its final season, capping off a ten-year run. Premiering that season was The Man From U.N.C.L.E. which capitalized on the popularity of James Bond in the theaters and started off as more of an action/adventure show. It would add more sci fi elements in subsequent seasons while also veering more heavily into camp. But it would stick around for four years and even produce the one-season spinoff The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.

Overall, the 1964-65 season was an important one for sci fi and fantasy shows because it expanded the presence of the genre on the Prime Time lineup and delivered some notable shows that are still recognized today. The genre offerings definitely leaned heavily on the sitcom format, but there were some important drama entries as well. Sadly, the season would see The Outer Limits cut short, and the quick decision to cancel the show instead of giving it more of a chance was repeated by network execs many times in the years that followed. But apart from that, this season helped to advance the genre to a wider audience, and within two years we would see a banner year for sci fi TV in Prime Time (more on that at this link).

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Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.